Mushroom Spinach and Swiss French Bread Pizzas

The other day I needed something really fast and easy for lunch and I was craving Swiss cheese (weird, right?). Well, my solution to that problem was this: sauté up some mushrooms and garlic, add some frozen spinach, pile it onto bread, cover with swiss, and broil until melted. Super fast, easy, and delicious. And, I got my pizza fix without feeling too guilty. Mushroom Spinach and Swiss French Bread Pizzas for the win!

Mushrooms and Swiss tend to be on the expensive side of the ingredient spectrum in my part of the world, but I balanced out the cost of this recipe by pairing them with two ingredients that are inexpensive: frozen spinach and French bread (the soft fluffy kind that you find in most grocery store bakeries). With a final price of $1.44 per pizza, I could definitely afford to eat two if I was super hungry. I’ve been reheating the leftovers in the microwave and although they’re not crispy that way, they’re still quite delicious. A toaster oven would be ideal for reheating.

Mushroom Spinach and Swiss French Bread Pizzas

Mushroom Spinach and Swiss French Bread Pizzas

The super fast Mushroom Spinach and Swiss French Bread Pizzas cook in just a few minutes under the broiler so you can get your pizza fix fast (and healthy).

Total Cost: $5.76 recipe / $1.44 serving

Author: Beth M

Prep Time: 10mins

Cook Time: 20mins

Total Time: 30mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3Tbspolive oil, divided ($0.48)

2clovesgarlic, minced($0.16)

8oz. button mushrooms ($1.99)

8oz.frozen spinach($1.17)

salt & pepper to taste ($0.05)

16"loaf soft French bread ($0.90)

4slicesSwiss cheese ($1.01)

Instructions

Wipe the mushrooms clean, then slice thinly. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet along with the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for one minute or just until fragrant. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 3-5 minutes more, or until they are limp and dark brown (add a pinch of salt to help them release their moisture if needed).

Add the frozen spinach to the skillet and continue to sauté until it is heated through. Season the mushrooms and spinach with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp salt and 10 cranks of a pepper mill.

Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the French bread will be 5-6 inches from the broiler unit. Preheat the broiler on high for a few minutes. While it's heating, cut the loaf of French bread into two 8 inch sections, then slice each piece in half lengthwise to open like a sandwich.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the pieces of French bread on the baking sheet open side up. Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the open surface of the bread. Place the bread under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or just until it is golden brown.

Top each piece of bread with 1/4 of the spinach and mushroom mixture, and one piece of swiss. Return the topped bread to the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes, or just until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Watch them closely to prevent burning. Serve hot.

Step by Step Photos

For this recipe I used one 8oz. container of button mushrooms and about 8oz. (1/2 lb.) of frozen spinach. The bag of frozen spinach is 12oz., so I just estimated 2/3 of the bag. You can add a little more or less without it hurting the recipe. Wipe the mushrooms clean, then slice them into thin pieces.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet, along with 2 cloves of minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for about a minute over medium heat, or just until it becomes a little soft and fragrant. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms become limp and dark brown. The mushrooms will initially soak up all the oil and the skillet will appear dry, but once they begin to heat they will let off liquid. You can add a pinch of salt to help the mushrooms expel their moisture.

Add the 8oz. of frozen spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach is thawed and heated through. Season the skillet with salt and pepper to taste. I added about 1/4 tsp salt and a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper.

I got this twin pack of French bread for $1.79 and each piece was about 16-17 inches long. I ended up only using one. Cut the French bread in half to make two 8-inch sections. Then cut the sections open as if you were going to make a sandwich. You should now have four pieces.

Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the French bread will be 5-6 inches away from the broiler unit. Preheat the broiler for a few minutes. Meanwhile, cover a baking sheet with foil, then place the French bread pieces on the baking sheet with cut sides up. Brush the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil over the open surface of the bread. Broil the bread for about 3 minutes, or just until it becomes light golden brown.

Once the bread is golden brown and a little crispy, take it out of the oven and top each piece with 1/4 of the spinach mushroom mixture. Top each bread with one slice of Swiss Cheese. I tore my slices in half to better cover the long bread.

Pop the bread back under the broiler for just a couple minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly. This will happen quickly, so keep a close eye. The pizza is ready to eat!

16 comments on “Mushroom Spinach and Swiss French Bread Pizzas”

I am a huge fan of French bread pizza. In my area, Jimmy John’s is a sandwich chain. I think that they are nation wide now. Jimmy John’s sells day old bread for about 50 cents a loaf, and it makes a perfect French bread pizza. Delicious and Budget Friendly.

Looks absolutely delicious and definitely student skill and budget friendly. I’ve just started blogging about student food myself and you are a huge inspiration! Greetings from the student kitchen, Johanna

The French bread pizza was absolutely delicious! I added ground sausage to give the pizza more flavor, and it knocked the pizza out of the park!! I’ll definitely make this recipe again, and thank you, Beth!! :-)

Made this last night for an impromptu birthday dinner and it was a hit! We have french bread pizzas pretty regularly at our house and this one will definitley be added into the rotation. Thanks for the great idea!

I made this for lunch today and loved it! I had a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, so i sautéed that with some garlic and Italian seasoning and used it as a dipping sauce. It was quick, easy, and very filling. I will definetly make this again.

Oh yes, absolutely! That would be wonderful with this mix. I’d brown the sausage first, then add the mushrooms and go on as usual. The sausage will add quite a bit of flavor because of all the herbs and spices it contains.

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »